First Kiss
by Dani Kin
Summary: In the immediate aftermath of Titan's defeat Megamind and Roxanne find themselves unsure of how to handle the past, the present, and the future.


_Hi gang! This weekend we had an unexpected snowpocalypse and I got sent home from work early on Friday and effectively snowed in for most of Saturday._

_For those of you who are reading my First porns, this is a prequel of sorts since I realized I was writing about all these firsts and I had inadvertently skipped the most important first of all._

_And for those of you who are not into reading porn, hey look, here is a nice PG-13 post-Titan romance for you. Everybody happy!_

_And I might write more of these non-porn firsts, but fear not! (flourishes finger up theatrically) Megs and Roxanne will be back to humping each other like crazed weasels soon!_

_Title : First Kiss_

_Author : Dani Kin_

_Rating : PG-13_

_Words : 7,500_

_Summary : In the immediate aftermath of Titan's defeat Megamind and Roxanne find themselves unsure of how to handle the past, the present, and the future._

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It had gotten a lot easier once Roxanne was able to convince Megamind that the throngs of people in the plaza weren't out for their blood. Ok, maybe not easier, but at lot less hectic? Honestly? Roxanne felt like everything just got really hazy once the immediate danger passed. Some things became a blur and others stuck out with startling clarity.

_Shock_, she realized, _this must be what shock is like_.

She was drawn into his smile, a beaming genuine smile that she had never seen on his face before. She was acutely aware that her heart raced when he spun her, more from the tight grip of his arms than the twirling itself. She remembered the police, EMTs, and firefighters descending upon the scene and someone leading her to the back of an ambulance to check her out. And she remembered Megamind hovering close by, ready to protect her from the whirl of emergency services personnel at any moment.

It was infuriating.

It was adorable.

She was fine. Okay, not really fine, but fine enough that she didn't need to go to the hospital. Roxanne was still trying to take in what was happening here.

She watched attentively as police officers took statements from the crowd before finally moving cautiously closer to speak to the supervillian-turned-hero-of-the-day. Megamind was clearly out of his element helping the police rather than fleeing from them, but she was curious to see what would happen.

Meanwhile, Megamind was just trying to keep his hand off his trusty de-gun. He had no idea what he should be doing besides protecting Roxanne, and the growing crowd in the plaza continued to make him nervous as hell. He tried his best not to fidget. Heroes don't fidget. Wayne never fidgeted.

Then he police commissioner himself was standing in front of him. Megamind swallowed dryly. Surely the man would want him hauled back to prison for his 85 life sentences. The two men stared at each other, and Megamind broke the silence by offering to have the brainbots to assist with the wreckage of Metro Tower – hoping the show of goodwill would stave off jail long enough to get Minion safely back to the Lair. Still, his hand was tensed - ready to draw and dehydrate any officers that tried to take him in.

But shockingly the commissioner accepted his offer to help, and extended his hand instead of a pair of handcuffs. Megamind froze for a moment then reached out tentatively to shake it quickly before pulling back like he had been burned. Then the crowd watched with rapt attention as he commanded the brainbots to cordon off the area and help firefighters evacuate the surrounding buildings.

And he felt a flutter of pride.

That was when he realized these people weren't going to hurt him or Roxanne. They weren't looking at him like he was a freak or a monster. They were…. impressed? That look on their faces was respect. He stood gob smacked. Then he heard Minion whispering from the edge of the fountain for him to look heroic and close his mouth instead of gaping like a guppy.

Roxanne sat on the lip of that fountain and watched the alien carefully as he struggled to relax before the crowd. There was just something about him. Something in the way he moved his hands and furrowed his brow. Something that penetrated through the haze and exhaustion and drew her full attention to him. Something so familiar yet brand new. Something that made her want to sit here and just watch him all day.

Then the media arrived.

That was when Roxanne remembered she had taken the KCMP news van when she went to try talking with Hal. God only knows where it was at now and she hoped the network wasn't going to be pissed if it was crushed under the rubble or lasered in two.

Her head spun. Should she be reporting this? Ugh, she couldn't even conceive of what she would say. She wasn't the reporter now, she was the story. And now everyone was going to ask her all these questions and she hadn't thought to have a statement prepared and she looked like shit in a filthy white tank top. She turned wordlessly to Megamind, wild panic in her eyes, and he instantly stepped in to ask for her help in getting Minion home.

She nodded emphatically and someone gave her a small plastic tote, which she passed silently over to him for inspection. He didn't even pause to remove his leather gloves before submerging it into the fountain and helping Minion swim into it. Then he lifted the dripping tub and paused for a moment. He looked at her gingerly before handing it back, making her suddenly very aware that he was trusting her to hold the most important thing in his life. She clutched the fish protectively to her chest while he instructed a few brainbots to pick up the pieces of the hover bike and the broken gorilla suit.

Finally they walked in silence towards the invisible car, pointedly ignoring the flashbulbs of photographers and the shouted questions from her fellow reporters. Roxanne walked as softly as she could, trying not to slosh the water surrounding Minion and Megamind picked up the car door along the way. As they approached the Hudson, a lone brainbot took the door from him and screwed it back on. The repair wasn't pretty, but it would work. Of course the door still had a fist-sized hole in it and no window.

She went around to the passenger side and silently got into the car. Like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like every other time she had been in his car she hadn't been gassed or bound and gagged. Like it was normal for her to be unable to stop staring at him - at the curve of his eyebrows, at his sharp jaw line, at the lips she knew would be so soft.

She shook her head and forced herself to stare at the dials on the dash. No. She was not going to think about his lips. She would rather sit here in silent shock then let herself think about lips. But the shock was wearing off and now she couldn't stop thinking about his lips, or his tight embrace as they twirled, or the sweet and enthusiastic joy that had shone on his face.

All those things made her remember Bernard, and that made her want to punch him. So instead she just settled for silence.

Minion tried to break the quiet with small talk and celebratory enthusiasm, but the wind whipped into the car from the broken window, making it hard to hear. Even Megamind was quiet on the drive, as though his earlier adrenaline worn off.

_Assuming_, she thought, _that his species had adrenaline_. Eventually they all settled into a companionable silence, broken only by the sound of the wind.

Roxanne continued to stare straight ahead. She stared as Megamind whipped the car around curves and corners and eventually drove it straight through the holographic wall of the not-so-secret Lair. She stared as he parked the car, turned it off, and then turned to face her.

Megamind studied her silence for a moment. She wasn't saying much. That was probably to be expected. She was probably in shock. He briefly wondered what was greater - the shock from being tied to a plummeting tower by a complete psychopath or shock that he had heroically come to her rescue. Or that he had rescued her once again from the cameras.

Or that he had blurted out that she was his reason to win like a complete idiot, like that could ever make everything between them okay. At least she had the excuse of shock; he was merely quiet because he couldn't think of two coherent words to put together. He was probably the smartest person on the entire planet and right now he felt so completely stupid in this situation.

What he wanted to do was reach out for her - to touch her hand or (if he let himself fantasize wildly) hold her close to show her that she was safe now. But he knew he had no right to ever touch her again, not after what he had put her through. _"Do you really think that I would ever be with you_?"

So instead he got out of the car and she did the same, still cradling Minion's tub carefully in her arms.

"Right this way, if you please Miss Ritchie," he said nervously, trying to remember manners he'd learned as a child but hadn't used in a very long time. "Thank you."

She blinked as he spoke in an odd voice that she'd never heard from him before. It wasn't his openhearted joy from the fountain and it wasn't an evil monologue. It was tense and overly polite. But still she followed his lead.

They headed towards the long red curtain, and Megamind pulled it back to expose the very idea cloud she had worked so hard to replicate in her apartment. He walked right past it to a cluster of work tables on one side and gestured for her to place the plastic tub on one of the flat surfaces. Then he sank down to eye level to examine his best friend fully.

"Minion, how are you feeling?" Megamind asked, his voice rich with concern.

"I'm okay boss. This fountain water's a little funny though," the fish replied and seemed to be smacking his lips.

"Don't worry, I'll get the ionized filtered water prepped for you in a minute," Megamind stated, examining his friend visually as best as he could through the distortion of the water. Then he unbuckled his gloves and nipped the fingers to take them off before sliding his hands into the water.

Roxanne watched spellbound. She had never seen his bare hands before. His fingers were long and wrists were so thin. And blue, so much blue.

Megamind gently touched his finned friend with the pads of his fingers, assessing his scales and bothria for any cuts from the shattered glass of his dome. "How's your swim bladder holding?"

"It feels alright. I'm just a little tired Sir," Minion confessed, and now Megamind could see that his rich brown eyes were shining with exhaustion.

"I know." Megamind stroked Minion's dorsal fins, this time for comfort and not to examine. "It's all going to be alright Minion. You're home now," he said with a quiet intensity.

Roxanne suddenly felt like she was spying on something very private. This was definitely a side of Megamind she had never seen before, one he had hidden well from public view. It was strange to see him behaving in a manner that was so sweet and devoted, yet familiar in a way she couldn't put her finger on.

Meanwhile he continued to care for Minion, seemingly oblivious to her continued presence.

"Do you want a suit? Or your sphere from home?" he asked, still petting the fish's' side gently.

"The suit with the purple? I like that castle," Minion replied drowsily and Megamind nodded.

"Brainbots? Fetch Daddy the K14 suit and the ionization filtration system. And the computer with the electroencephalography imaging software," he commanded, never looking up from Minion. "Any difficulty with your neural implant?"

"I don't think so Sir. Mostly I'm just tired." Minion answered honestly.

"Okay. Once you get into the suit I want to run a quick neuro diagnostic, then you can sleep."

The brainbots brought him a smaller robotic body with purple silicone grips on the hands, a red laptop, and something that looked like an intricate pump system. Megamind attached the pump to a port on the front and let the suit fill before carefully placing Minion inside. The opening in the glass dome sealed imperceptively as soon as Megamind removed his hand.

Minion swam in a few lazy circles, taking in deep gillfulls of the fresh clean water. Megamind plugged the laptop to a port on the suit and carefully studied the data that flashed across his screen until he was satisfied by the results. He closed the laptop and turned back to his friend with a calm smile.

"I want you to get some rest now, Minion," Megamind said, as he patted the glass dome of the suit's head.

"You got it, boss."

"I'll come and check on you in a few hours, you fantastic fish you," Megamind responded lovingly.

He leaned in and pressed his forehead against the dome itself, as a little castle emerged and Minion swam into it. And Megamind kept his head there until the castle descended from view.

Roxanne couldn't stop staring at him, unexpectedly moved by the affectionate display. Who was he? This was not her maniacal villain, or her rambling supergenius, or even her dashing hero.

Megamind straightened his back and hoped he hadn't embarrassed himself too much in front of Roxanne, or angered her by ignoring her. But she wasn't the only one he had almost lost today. All Minion's theatrics aside, Megamind had nearly ruined his relationship with his best and only friend by being a selfish jerk and he swore he would never take the fish for granted like that again. Minion was always there for him and now it was his turn to take care of the fish who had taken care of him time and time again.

But now that Minion was safe and sleeping he just tried not to be unnerved with her staring at him as he put his long black gloves back on.

This silence that stretched between them was good and awkward but she really had no idea what to say after watching him act like that. And he probably thought she was a little nuts, what with all the staring.

Once his gloves were back in place he stepped closer, brow furrowed intensely, and asked gently, "Miss Ritchie, would you like me to take you home?"

Something about the formality of that question struck her as oddly hilarious and she let out a short barking laugh. "No. No, I really do not want to go home." Then she took a deep breath and tried to center herself as she rubbed her temple. "I'm sorry. It's just been a really long day."

"After a long night too," he added, then wanted to kick himself. Why was he even bringing that up? That was not the right thing to say at all. Ugh.

He pushed back against his own nervousness. How did normal people make conversation? It had been so long since he had even attempted it. Weather? Various sports teams from the local area? He hadn't had this problem when he was Bernard. Now he just felt painfully and obviously alien.

She studied him, his brow furrowed deep and wondered what he was thinking. Yes, last night had been long. Long, with a hot shower and some angry crying. But she couldn't let herself think about that. She needed to focus on something else entirely.

"You took a hell of a hit back there… and you landed on a wall. Are you hurt?" she changed the subject, taking a small step closer to him.

He scoffed. "I'll be stiff, but that fool didn't hurt me. Fear not Miss Ritichie!" He pointed a finger up with a flourish, trying to push his nerves down behind the familiar façade of theatricality. "I will be back to my old self before long."

She froze in her tracks, her face a mask of horror. What had she expected from him? That he would just give up being the bad guy and rush out to become a hero for her? That one day - one lousy day - would cause him to reconfigure his entire life? She felt her chest tighten. What had she been thinking, coming here to his Lair?

As soon as he saw the look on her face he began waving his hands wildly in front of himself in the universal gesture for no.

"No, not back to my old self meaning villainy! I-I don't - I just mean – " he stammered, completely undone. "Uhh, I heal fast. Faster than you lot do. I-I will be fine, um, thank you for your concern?"

Her heart pounded and she knew she had no reason to believe him. None whatsoever. But there was the flustered look in his eyes, the way he stammered, the tender care he showed Minion. She had seen Megamind evil and up close for years. She knew his well-rehearsed lines, his sweeping gestures, his meticulously timed laugh. Now he wasn't acting that way at all.

He was acting like Bernard.

The realization was like a brick to the face.

Fuck her. He _was_Bernard.

Not he pretended to be Bernard, but that was who he was deep down somewhere. He had hidden the best parts of himself from her - from everyone - for all these years. She must have been making some kind of hideous expression because the concerned look was back on his face and he cautiously stepped closer.

"Roxanne, are you okay?" he asked her, then bit his lower lip. He wanted so badly to touch her arm, just one little reassuring touch to ground them both. But he reminded himself that was just him being selfish. She would never want that kind of reassurance from him.

Roxanne was still reeling. Was she okay? How could know if she was okay? Would she ever be okay with everything that had happened? And why did her brain keep replaying images of the two of them hugging each other in the fountain?

At least she knew the answer to that one. It was because that was the last time she felt like everything made some kind of sense. It made no sense, but he was the only thing that made sense. And she would give anything to recapture that feeling.

So she threw her arms around him forcefully, hoping he hadn't been lying when he said that he wasn't hurt. Because she was clinging to him furiously and firmly, like a drowning man clinging to scrap of rock.

His back went rod straight when her arms surrounded him. There was no reason for her to ever touch him again, much less now, much less wrap her arms around him in the exact manner he was desperately yearning for. But after a moment of surprise, he was clinging to her too.

Her hands fisted the back of his suit and he slid one gloved hand into her hair, pulling her head close enough to press against the side of his. They held each other firmly, like that was the only way to make sure the other one was really there. A long moment passed doing just that, just gripping each other, awash in gratitude that the other was alive and they were here together.

Then her lips found his and she couldn't stop. Her kisses were a frenzy. All the anger and frustration and rage she had - at last night, at today, at Hal - rushed through her lips. It poured into him, and into her relief that it was finally over.

He pushed back his shock and began kissing back with wild abandon. He couldn't afford to waste a moment - this was probably a 'thank you for saving my life' kiss and he would never get another. He'd already thought he would never get to kiss her again after the fiasco in the restaurant, and now that he had his second chance, he needed to make her understand. He needed to show her how much he adored her, respected her, cherished her, and wanted her.

So when her tongue slipped against his he nearly moaned from delight. He enjoyed every moment of her luscious attention and let her claim his mouth roughly. Hers, yes, he would be hers, only hers, even if it was just for a few minutes.

They tongued and grasped and kissed each other until her intensity finally receded. Then the only thing left in Roxanne was the fear. He was okay. She was okay. Oh God, he was really okay. They had both nearly died today but she kept reminding herself that they were okay now. Her kisses became slower and more hesitant as she relaxed her grip on his suit.

He noted the shift and went with her. His started softly petting her hair with his gloved hand and their lips caressed each other gently this time. He could feel her now, no longer passionate and grappling, but uneasy. And Megamind couldn't stand it, knowing all she had been through today, so now he met her lips with a very different purpose.

This time his kisses were protective and reassuring. He hadn't earned that right, but it was startlingly effective. Roxanne knew she probably shouldn't encourage him or lead him on, but his warm soft lips imparted a sense of calm that was wholly unexpected considering the source.

She finally needed to take a deep breath and broke the kiss.

"Today was really fucking scary," Roxanne said slowly, leaning her cheek against his, not wanting to leave his embrace.

Her words pulled him back from the frenzy and the fantasy into reality. The reality was that his foolishness had nearly gotten her killed. And her holding him, her kissing him, it wasn't because it was real. It couldn't be. He could hear her voice thundering in his ears once again. _"Do you really think that I would ever be with you_?"

"I'm sorry," Megamind whispered in response, hoping that she believed him. He held her tight, trying to memorize the feel of her body against his in this moment because it would probably end soon. "Roxanne, I'm so sorry," he desperately murmured again.

His quiet little voice pulled on something inside her. While part of her was still furious at him, another could hear his own need for reassurance after all that had happened. And she couldn't ignore that.

"Hey. You saved me. You saved all of us," she tried to be encouraging, speaking in a soft whisper that matched his own. She moved to look him in the eye and found his were squeezed shut.

"I nearly got you killed. You were scared and it was entirely my fault." He squished up his forehead and shook his head a little.

Roxanne could feel the guilt and pain coming off him in waves and it made her ache. So she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Do you know what the worst part was? Megamind, the worst part was when I saw you on the ground."

She hadn't intended to tell him that. But she couldn't just stand here with him so sad like this. She needed to continue.

"I thought that you were impaled. I thought you were dead. That's when I was the most scared," she explained without hesitation. She reached up to lightly cradle the back of his head and was surprised by how soft his skin was.

"Oh." He opened his eyes in surprise, from her touch or her words she didn't know.

"Why? I know you looked back but I don't know what that means and you deserve to be mad because Titan was all my fault in the first place and that means it's my fault that he hurt you and threatened you because I provoked him and he came after you because of me and I couldn't save him or stop him and I couldn't let him hurt you, God if he had hurt you…" The words just rushed out before he could stop them. "... And I'm so stupid and I'm rambling. I'm sorry."

"Okay, slow down." She stroked the back of his head gently. "Slow down. You still have a lot of blame mister. I'm so glad you're alive so you can make it up to me."

He looked hopeful, and she briefly imagined how good it would feel to banish his fears fully by kissing him sweetly on the lips she knew to be so soft and needy. But she couldn't ignore the part of her that scolded herself to have some limits, some self respect. However she kept stroking the back of his bald blue head. She was finding that making the rhythmical circles on his soft skin calmed her as well.

"Does the making it up to you... wh- what does that mean?" Megamind blushed as he stammered at her. He knew he sounded desperate, but he needed to know. She was holding him. She stroked his giant blue alien head and he had never been touched like this. He would do anything she asked, anything to make this moment last.

She was surprised to see him blush. He was shy? Wow, that was adorable. He was all bluster and bravado when he had her in the grasp of a giant robot or when he was facing down a psycho with superpowers. But she had never thought of him being shy before.

She looked at him. Really looked at him, in the way she never had let herself before.

He was skinny and bald and blue. He wore ridiculous outfits with capes and spikes. He had flamethrowers and kept pet alligators. He wasn't even human. He was her kidnapper for crying out loud!

He was shy and told hilarious stories and relished trying new things. He had risked everything to come for her when she needed him most. He reassured her with kisses and, even though it was unlikely as hell, being close to him like this felt right. And he was so cute, with his little blushes and his thin strip of goatee. How had she never noticed that he was so cute?

What _did_ that mean?

"I don't know," she answered him honestly.

His face fell, and he looked like a puppy that had been kicked yet again. She marveled at his elastic face and the way he wore his heart on his sleeve. But then she knew that already. Well, she knew that she could always read his face like an open book whenever he kidnapped her.

But that had been a game and this was reality.

She let him go and Megamind silently berated himself. If only he hadn't said anything, then maybe he could have held on to her for just another minute. Stupid, stupid, stupid, wanting for things he could never have.

Roxanne took a step away from him to compose her thoughts before she resumed speaking. "I don't have the answers Megamind. I don't. Part of me is still angry. Really goddamn angry at you." She rubbed her temples and let her anger take the stage.

"You have been a supervillian for a long time and you've done some really destructive and fucked up things. Even if you try to make up for it now, it doesn't change the fact that you've been selfish and you hurt people." She exhaled deeply.

"I mean, you have been kidnapping me for years. You made me a fucking pawn in your stupid game with Wayne. You've spent years not caring if you woke me up in the middle of the night or tore the shit out of my clothes or ruined my plans for the day." She barreled on, unable to slow in the face of what she needed to say.

"Do you know how incredibly fucked up that is? For me to even think about being with someone who treated me like that?" He looked like he might cry but he nodded along.

"_Do you think I would ever be with you?" _No. Of course the answer would be no. Just doing one heroic deed didn't change the fact that he was still the bad boy, the black sheep, the freak, the screw-up. There was no reset button that could fix all his mistakes, no matter how much he wished for it.

Roxanne could see the hurt on his face but she kept going until she got to the most important thing. "And you lied to me. You lied to me for weeks to get close to me. You..." she took a ragged breath and when she resumed her voice was quiet and rich with hurt. "You made me fall for someone who didn't exist. Honestly? I should probably just cut my losses here. Because I don't know that I want to be a part of anything with that much baggage."

She sighed and there was a long pause as he stared intensely at one spot on the floor. Then he curled his shoulders inward.

"I'm so sorry," Megamind mumbled quietly, saying the only thing he could think of. "I'm sorry about everything. I know it's not worth much, but I am. I'm sorry about the lying and I'm sorry that I made Titan and I'm sorry... I'm sorry about me. About not really being Bernard." He knew he should look her in the eye, but he burned with shame and guilt.

She came closer, hoping he would look at her, but he did not. She wanted to reach out for him but she struggled to think of the best way to do that, to do something that would be reassuring.

"Thank you for apologizing," she replied, her voice soft and grateful. Then she slowly leaned her small peach forehead into his large blue one until they were touching, the way she had seen him to do Minion's dome earlier.

Megamind felt like he was rooted to the ground as soon as skin touched skin. Oh heavens. She was touching his head with hers and he tried to make sure his hands didn't shake. Did she know how hard it was when she showered him with affection like this? Or how good it felt to be touched at all, much less forehead to forehead?

He grew up on a planet where people didn't rub foreheads, at least not in the way his parents had done with him and each other in the eight short days he'd been able to bond with them. Roxanne couldn't know what the gesture meant to him. That this kind of intimate gesture was reserved only for those he loved most. He could barely breathe from the contact. It felt so good to do with her, just the way he had always dreamed. But it was also bitterly painful because he knew that she had no clue what it meant to him.

He tried not to feel cared for, to remind himself - _"Do you think I would ever be with you?" _The answer was and would always be no. No matter how much her touch made him want to beg her for more. He didn't deserve anything more. He finally looked up at her, and just like last night in the rain, he couldn't find the words to say anything.

Roxanne tried to think as she held her head to his. He was alive. And he had feelings for her. Obviously. But what did she feel for him? Anger at his manipulations of course. A part of her was berating her for her weakness. Saying that he deserved his guilt, that he wasn't her responsibility, that he was a liar and a creep and a freak and why the hell was she nuzzling him anyway?

Then she looked into his eyes and found that they were silently pleading with her, begging her 'please please let me be yours'. And she knew in that quiet moment that if she wanted it he would be hers, her blue boy for as long as she would have him.

And that was when she finally just thought, _screw it_. She was tired and sick of fighting with herself. Sick of trying to process the past or plan the next move or pick the perfect thing to say. It was too exhausting and she'd been thinking all day - thinking and raging, and thinking and panicking, and thinking some more. This wasn't something that could be thought, it needed to be felt. She was just going to follow her instincts.

"Megamind?" She wrapped her arms around him once more, pulling his body to her own.

"I don't know what we're gonna to do... but I'm still here," she said fiercely. "I really liked you as Bernard. You were funny and sweet. And so smart. Being with him - with you – it was good."

He blinked and felt a tiny flutter in his heart. _"Do you think I would ever be with you?" _ She wasn't saying no. She wasn't saying yes either, but she wasn't saying no. He let himself nuzzle her forehead fully now, lavishing that kind of affection on her.

"I am sorry. I really am," he repeated, as he tightened his arms around her lower torso. "I am so so sorry."

"I know, I know sweetie," she whispered. He was so thin but he still felt strong under her hands as she moved them in circles on his back reassuringly. "And I forgive you. It doesn't mean we forget though."

"How do we do that?" he pleaded, relishing her soft reassuring touches on his back. He hadn't experienced anything like it since he was a child, when he would find comfort snuggled in the warden's thick arms. But the way Roxanne touched him now was definitely not parental.

"I don't know." As far as she knew there were no roadmaps for how to act when your kidnapper gives up being evil.

"It was so easy when I was Bernard..." The solution was suddenly clear to him, though it made his stomach churn. "I'll fix the watch and we can just keep preten-"

"No- no. A world of no," Roxanne sputtered and she could feel him deflate in her arms. God, he was cute even when he looked dejected. She wondered again how she had never noticed and then that snarky voice piped up to remind her about the rope burn and the nasty bag smell. But none of that seemed that important when she had his adorable face so close to her own.

"Then... what happens now?" he asked her, tired and frustrated. He hated not knowing. There had already been so much not knowing all day. It was overwhelming and it was like he couldn't think. For years his only plan had been to defeat Metro Man. Now he had absolutely no idea what he should be doing.

Roxanne sighed, unsure of what to say when she didn't know herself. Instead she let herself enjoy the sensation of his lithe body against hers, running her hand to the back of his over-sized head once again. His skin was warm and soft even though he 'was bald and had the complexion of a popular primary color'. That memory made her smile. Then she realized it was the first time she'd thought of him as Bernard without the sharp sting of betrayal. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek.

Megamind's eyes drooped half-lidded at the tiny kiss. He almost didn't care that she wasn't answering his question. He was swimming in ecstasy from all the touching. He relaxed further into her with every minute she continued to make contact. He was being touched and kissed and nothing had ever felt so good. He ran his hands up her back, marveling at her round curves but stopping shyly when he felt the edge of her bra.

She knew it wasn't fair. Here she was petting him and not answering his questions. Did she really want this? It would be hard and incredibly complicated. It would require a large amount of patience and an even larger amount of trust.

She focused on the feeling of his body against hers. His breath. The way he was holding her back, like it might break him if he had to let go.

Did she want to keep kissing him? Could she imagine snuggling with him on the couch? Letting him touch her without the gloves? Laughing with him? Could she see herself coming home at the end of a long day and giving him a kiss on his blushing cheek? Bringing him soup when he was sick or asking him to rub her feet?

Did she… could she… want him? Did she want to slowly and sensually strip him, solving the mystery of what was hiding under that tight spandex suit? To learn all the little ways to move and pleasure him? To feel him warm and naked and pressed against her, needing her? Wanting her and her wanting him?

Did she want to see if she could love him?

And when she put it like that, the answer was so clear. Just imagining those things made her heart race and made her want to kiss him again.

So she did. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. It was a sweet kiss, a daydreaming kiss, a kiss that expects nothing in return but hopes for so much more.

_It was their first kiss_, she realized.

That broken kiss in the restaurant didn't count. And the kisses earlier were about being pulled between confusion and comfort.

But this time she was kissing Megamind because she chose him. This was her pink lips parting his blue ones, his face softening as his lips pushed back hesitantly, then with more pressure against her own. It was the tickle of his goatee against her chin, it was the way her heart raced when she sucked lightly on his bottom lip, it was the way his lips were just as needy as her own.

It was the way he breathed and the way kissing him felt like stepping into his world. Yes, there were spiderbots and ray guns and a baffling configuration of papers suspended from the ceiling by long red strings. But there were also these sweet lips and the way he made her laugh. There were his warm green eyes and that blue skin that begged to be caressed. And there was the heat she felt spark down below when he slipped his tongue into her mouth, hungry for more.

This one kiss had all that and more. So there was just one last thing she needed before she could truly make her choice.

Her lips slowly left his and she reached for his arm. He pulled back instinctively, then froze when he saw the purposeful look on her face. Instead he held his hand out limply and her fingers moved to the buckle of his glove.

She wanted him to take off his gloves? Oh god, what for?

Roxanne slid the long leather glove down his arm, exposing his blue skin. She touched his slender fingers gently, and then raised his hand up to her face. Megamind responded by gently cupping her cheek in his naked palm and watched in quiet amazement as she leaned into his hand.

Roxanne felt as though her cheek was on fire from his tender touch and she couldn't wait to feel these hands all over her body. She sighed happily. She'd had entire relationships without half as much intimacy as this gesture.

"I like this," she whispered, looking deep into his eyes.

"You do?"

"I like you," She gave him a shy little smile.

"Really?" Now he almost couldn't breathe.

"Really."

He was beaming now and he sucked in a deep breath. Then he bravely ran his hand around her small head and let his bare fingers slide through her hair with a devilish smile. He had always wanted to do that.

She couldn't help but grin back when he looked at her like that, wondering if this was the first time he had ever played with someone's hair.

She pondered the extension of that logic as he traced down her jawline to her chin, close enough for her to give his fingers tiny playful kisses. There must be so many things he had never done. The thought intimidated her a little but also excited her. She had so much to show him.

"How would you like to try dating? Just you and me, together. No evil plots and no more lies," Roxanne proposed with a smile. "I feel like I don't know you as much…. as much as I want to."

He didn't answer her with words. Instead his lips were back on hers, kissing her excitedly and proudly. Then he twirled her again, like he had by the fountain, only this time it was better because this time she captured his mouth with hers as they spun. She had to giggle as she kissed him, and then he was chuckling playfully too.

When they were still she took his ecstatic face in her hands and resumed stroking his giant blue head. She traced the hint of a point atop the shell of his ear, reminding her that he wasn't human, and let her hands explore him.

Some people would not approve but screw them. They weren't here making her feel a flutter with every kiss. However improbable, there was something here. And damned if she was going to let anybody scare her away from figuring out exactly what it was.

It had been a long day. A hell of a really fucking long complicated crazy day after a long terrible complicated crazy night.

But for the first time in 24 hours, neither was worried or angry or anxious. They were completely wrapped up in each other's arms and lips, together in a place where everything seemed to make perfect sense.

Kissing him made sense. Relaxing into her embrace made sense. Nuzzling her nose against his and pressing his forehead against hers just made sense. For a long moment neither moved, just relishing the sweet bliss that accompanied making contact.

Roxanne realized she could sleep peacefully like this, curled up to him, and flirted with the idea of asking him if she could spend the night. But then another voice piped up, telling her not to rush it. Things between them were already complicated enough. They needed to take their time. So she took a deep breath and brought her gaze back to his.

"Why don't you be a gentleman and take me home? And maybe we could have dinner sometime this week? You know, if you're not too busy?" She blushed unexpectedly and now it was her turn to be a little shy.

"How about tomorrow?" Megamind responded quickly, his eyebrows high with unrestrained enthusiasm.

"Sure, tomorrow." Roxanne giggled at his childlike grin and couldn't resist kissing him on the tip of his nose. Then she thought a moment. "Do you like Chinese? There is a really great restaurant by my apartment. We could get some delivery and just hang out at my place? Talk, you know, get to know each other better..."

He blushed. "That would be nice. To hang out at your place. With you." He was stammering like an idiot again but he didn't care.

"Okay. It's a date," she replied with a happy smile, and laced her fingers in with his. He stared down at the contrast of them woven together, layers of peach and blue. She saw the look of wonder on his face and gave his hand a squeeze. He looked up at her. Then he shyly squeezed her hand back as they turned towards the entrance.

The Lair didn't seem quite so scary to her now that she had his hand in hers. It was simply as much a mystery as the man who walked by her side and she was sure she would figure it all out in time. Then she remembered something she had wanted to say earlier by the fountain.

"Megamind? You did good today. So good." She smiled at him and he blushed immediately at her surprise compliment.

Oh that blush. That adorable blush was going to get the better of her every time, she just knew it.

"Y-You thought I was good?" he asked with a bashful smile.

"I thought you were amazingly good," she emphasized and untangled their fingers so she could slide her arm around his waist. He instinctively put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer as they walked side-by-side towards the invisible car.


End file.
